Machine for washing oranges.



. A. TAPLIN.

MACHINE FOR WASHING ORANGBS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1906. RENEWED SEPT. 2, 1909.

Patented 0ct.26,l909.

. 3 flit/755555.

of the United States,

- operation, and which is ed for being driven by ower for passing the UNITED s'rnrnsrn rnnr OFFICE.

ALVIN TAPLIN, OF'FOBESTVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR WASHING ORANGES.

Application filed June 5,1906, Serial No. 320,297.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Renewed September 2, 1909. Serial No. 515,909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVIN TAPLIN, a citizen residing at Forestville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for \Vashing Oranges, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to improvements in machines. for washing oranges and other objects having a somewhat spherical form,

and the object of .my improvement is to )roduce a machine that IS eflicient and rapi 1n particularly ada-ptoranges qulckly throng the machine.

In the accompanying drawing :'--Figure 1 is a plan view of my machine. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line-m a: of Fig. 1.

A, designates a tank or trough which also serves as the frame. ofthemachine. This tank or trough is made tight and is designed for holding the water for washing the oranges. The'bifush cylinder B, is provided wit a shaft or gudgeons 3, 'by means of which the brush cylinder is mounted in the ends of the tank. I prefer to mount the cylinder substantially horizontal or level, and. to provide one end with a driving pulley 4, shown by broken lines in Fig. l, for the applicationof' a belt for driving the machlne by power from any suitable source. The other end may be provided with a crank 5 for turning the brush cylinder by handwhen desired. I prefer to form-the brush cylinder of a core brrpllerb of wood, covered with cocoanut matting to form a cylindrical brush, the. said matting being constructed in the ordinary manner .from cocoa nut fiberwith a braided or woven body portion, and brush portion 8 with a surface of next to the rol er thereon in any roper manner with secured in place thereon in an audits brush-*port'on on' the outer side.

- board 10 is made wi oranges,

moved toward the brush cylinder into the where it may be held by the the under faces of arms are supported in-place by means of.

The cylinder and worm together constitute 'one brush or brushing roller.

In connection withthe brush cylinder and worm I employ a second brush or brushing apron C. I refer to form this apron of a board 10 and brush 11 of cocoanut matting, and also to make "the a ron adjustable for large or small ora'n es. s shown, the apron e enoughto extend down to the bottom of the tank and to extend ulpf t 'e wardly on an incline by the side 0 brush cylinder or worm so that the confront-v ing facesof the cylinder and apron form a trough or run for the orangeswhen they are being washed, but which through. The lower end of the apron board is prevented from slipping down under the brush by means of a sultable stop or stops 7,

on .the bottom of the tank. The upper edge of the apron board 10 when arrang large oranges, rests upon one side, 17, of the tank, as-best shown in Fig. 2. .When desired to set the machine for washing small th top of the apron board may be position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2,

pins 12.

If desired, a third brush. may be employed in connection with the brushing cylinder and worm and the brushing apron. In such case I form'the third brush 13 of a strip of cocoanut matting which is'secured to two 1 or more swinging arms 14, loosely supported on the tank or frame. As shown, tins .third brush is merely secured brush sidedown to the arms 14, and the said headed pins 15 whichpass through slots 16 in said arms into the upper edge of the material that forms the side 17 of the tank. If the portion of the pins 15 between the under side of the head and are thick, then the said arms will befree to vibrate or swing on the said pins within certain limits so as to permit the third brush to move up and down. the "third brush is depressed to the downward limit of-the movement of the arm 14. I have shown two arms 14 of the same len and so short that no partof the brush cy inder or worm can come in contact therewith. 14, which is not quite lon enough to come in contact with the cylin rical partof the roller brush but which is long enough to As shown in Figiflfzl v I prefer to employ a longer arm they cannot fall the upper edge of the side 17 is longer than the arms 14 lreach the worm 9 and to be hit thereby at the worm acts on the arm 14: to raise it,

and then passes on out of the way of'the said arm. The strips for the Worm and the third brush may be cut from wider matting or they may be braided-or woven of the desired width especially for this work.

If desired a longitudinal uard bar 18 may be placed. over the brus .ing cylinder and supported by the brackets 19 whereby the said bar will prevent the oranges from passing overthe top of the roller into the tanln For convenience of feeding the oranges into the machine, any suitable hopper 20 may be provided. A suitable recess 21 is cut in the rind portion of the'tank directlyin front of the working space'betw'een the roller and apron, for the passage of the oranges out of the machine. brush is made shorter than the brush cylinder'and apron in order to facilitate the entry of the oranigles between the brushes and their exit there om.

In use, the tank will be filled and should be kept filled with water to.a depth that will cover the under side of the brush cylinder, whereby I both the worm and thev cylinder within the worm will be kept .wet. Oranges are fed into the machine from the hopper to the space between the brush cylinder and apron and the brush cylinder is turned in the direction indicated by the dart in Fig.

. 2, so that the sideof the roller that faces the apron is moving upwardly and towardthe The motion of the roller has atendency to roll the oranges over and over, sothat they are brushed and scrubbed on one side by the roller and onthe opposite side by the apron, the water from the roller keeping the oranges wet and through the oranges wletting the apron also.. The worm" brush also acts on the oranges with a tendency to lift them'and roll them along toward the delivery end of the machine. In thus moving alon brush which gr up and down motion given to the third brush by the worm and longer arm 14 facilitates the entry of the oranges under the third brush and theirpassage thereunder.

As the orangesreach the delivery end'ofthe machine they are forced out by the worm. The Worm being also a brush,serves to assist the scrubbing process whlle it does the. feeding. The oranges are thus forced rapidly through the machine and at'the same time they are efiiciently brushed or scrubbed. The'adjustment of the a ron to adapt the -machine' for lar e or sma l oranges has been before explaine Inasmuch as the machine is designed to be generally driven by. ower,

the brushing'rolleris'not set on a s ant to will be cleaned better when they are brushed \put than they will when they merely roll The third 1 'three brushing devices.

" upwardly inclinedboard by said cylmder and adapted to be tilted to they pass under the third ushes-them on the ,top. The

make the oranges roll by gravity through the machine, but is set level and the oranges are brushed or forced out by the brushing worm, and it is believed. that-the oranges out. v

I claim as my invention 1. In an orange washer, the combination of a tank having a delivery opening at one 7 end w1at)1 a brushing cylinder mountedon the said tnk for rotating therein, a "brushing worm wound around and secured to the said cylinder for rotating therewith, and an upwardly inclined brushing apron within theg said tank byone side'of the said cylinder and Worm with their confronting faces diverging from each other in the form of a trough and with one end of the said trough leading to the said delivery opening, all 8 combined and operating together for simultaneousaction on the oranges of the said v 2. In an orange washer, the combination of-a frame having a delivery opening at one end with a cylinder having a brushlng sur-- face consisting of radially arranged fibers. a worm mounted thereon and having a brushing surface consisting of outwardly projecting fibers, and an upwardly inclined 9 brushing apron having a like surface 31'". ranged to face the said cylinder and worm with their confronting. faces divergin from each other in the form of a trough an with one end of the said trough leading to the 1 said delivery opening, all.combined and operating together for simultaneous action on the oranges of the said three brushing devices.

3. In an'orang'e washer, the combination 'of a tank with brushing cylinder mounted therem a brushing apron arranged upon an the side of the andffrom the "said cylinder, and means for 1 holdin the said apron in position when thus ti ted to vary the distance between the" said apron and cylinder.

4. In an orange washer, the combination of a tank with a brushing cylinder mounted on the said tank for rotating'therein, an. upwardlyinclined apron board arranged by the side of the said cylinder within the said tank and fulcrumed-at its lower edge, a

brushing apron mounted on the said board and fac ng the sand cylinder, and means for holding the said apron board at varying distances from ,the said cylinder when .the

apron board fulcrum. 5. ..In an oran e washer, the, combination of a rotary brus inegi cylinder with a brushthereon, a brushin apron by the side ofthe said cylinder and a third brush mounted; on vibrating arm's,

is"ch anged in position onv its one of which is adapted to be engaged by the said worm for lifting the third brush at each revolution of the said cylinder.

6. In an orange Washer, the combination of a tank with a brushing cylinder mounted on the said tank. for rotating therein, a brushing worm wound around and secured to the said cylinder for rotating therewith, an upwardly inclined brushing apron within the said tank by the side of the said cylinder and worm with their confronting faces (1iverging from each other in trough like form, and a guard bar overthe said cylinder in p0- sition to prevent the oranges from passing over the top of the cylinder into the tank.

v TI In an .orange washer, the-combination of a brushing cylinder with a frame upon which said brushing cylinder is mounted, an

space above the said cyli'n erand apron, and

swinging arms loosely mounted on the said frame and secured to the said. third brush at different points in its length forsupport- 25 over .th said space. 3 AL IN TAPLIN. Witnesses: a

T. J. BROOKS, 1 PERRY R. CURRY.

ing it in position 

